FURY erupted last night after it emerged that a thug who carried out a vicious stabbing had been granted bail six times in the weeks leading up to the attack.

John Etchells walked free from court just 48 hours before stabbing Darren Jamieson at a flat in Dundee in April.

He had been released despite having 10 previous convictions in just over two years for breaching bail and a string of other offences committed while on bail.

The 19-year-old had been granted bail on March 8, March 10, twice on March 18, on March 28 and April 23 before his knife attack on Mr Jamieson.

The decision to repeatedly bail Etchells has sparked fresh concern that the country’s courts are a soft touch for criminals.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Mr Jamieson logged into the social networking site Facebook just three minutes after dialling 999.

He wrote on the site: “Just got stab, gushing of blood.” He also identified Etchells as his attacker.

Etchells was later arrested and charged over the attack and finally remanded in custody. After the hearing, Tory chief whip John Lamont said: “Bail should only be afforded to those who are not considered a danger to society.

It’s pretty clear this man was very much a danger, and this should have been obvious at any one of the six previous hearings

John Lamont

“It’s pretty clear this man was very much a danger, and this should have been obvious at any one of the six previous hearings.”

Etchells, now a prisoner at the young offenders institution at Polmont, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to stabbing Mr Jamieson on April 25 this year.

He admitted being subject to six separate bail orders at the time of the offence.

It also emerged that he has racked up 16 convictions since 2010 – the majority of which were either for breaching bail, or assaults and breaches of the peace aggravated by him being on bail at the time.

Sentence was deferred until September 2 for social work background reports and for the Crown to produce a full account of the stabbing. Etchells was remanded in custody.